corner view: shopping

shopping. this one should be easy, because, well, yes, i'll admit it: i love to shop! i'm into things and shopping. those things that i like they don't have to be new, or fancy, or cost anything. it can be a drawing. a vintage belt from my mom with a personal story. something cute and funny i found at the flee market. or when D stopped by the favorite baker on his way home from work and bought me the cinnamon rolls that make my world spin for a moment.

and not only do i find a market place like this charming with all the noise, smells and high intimacy level (it's crowded!), i am also one of those persons who actually enjoy a trip to ikea (not with D, though. he's a party killer in ikea).

when i lived in the city shopping was easy. and it was certainly easier to make impulsive shopping. like when you pass that little vintage shop, or the guy selling handmade jewelry in the street on the way to the supermarket.

living in the countryside makes shopping something you plan. and forget about running out 2 hours before a wedding to buy a new dress when you just can't fit any of those other dresses - probably because you've been eating way too much home-baked bread and good food after moving to a house with a kitchen just begging you to cook and bake - the fashion scene is not big around here (it's actually really small, and to be honest i didn't find it yet).

so, blogging is not the only thing i took up after moving out here. i also found out that the internet is an amazing place to shop. i mostly practice window shopping, though, but that's also extremely convenient to do from your own home (maybe another reason why those summer dresses don't fit...).

i have always preferred to see, feel and touch what i'm about to buy, whether it's food, clothes, or things. and i always preferred those shops where you'd get that personal attention (not the icky one where the sales person ambush you in the dressing room or follow you around, not leaving your personal space for a second). You know, those places where you feel like the person selling you something is proud of the product and is happy to tell you about it. and even if you don't buy, they enjoy talking to you.

and the internet is just filled with passionate and proud crafters, designers of all kinds, farmers and basically whatever your heart desires. i don't buy much, admitted, but the few times i did it was an amazing experience. because it's personal. really, it is, in fact much more personal than most other shopping experiences i have had out here in the real world.

and the funny thing is, that after the internet pretty much killed personal snail-mail, it is now bringing it back to my life. how many birthday cards do you get in the mail? invitations and thank you notes are pretty much only the case when it's big events like weddings and the like (and people seem to move toward the internet here as well). and letters... they are rare. i have sent a few letter the last couple of years, but it's only a fraction of what i used to before everyone got online. and i really don't get many personal letters either. i can't even remember the last time i did.

and now the internet is bringing back the excitement of receiving mail. at least this is the case in my life. because not only do you get what you ordered, usually you also get a little handwritten, personal note. and it's wrapped up nicely so it's a thrill to unpack. sometimes you even have a little email correspondence going on with the seller before or after your purchase. other times you know a bit about the seller from his or her personal blog, or in the case of etsy or the like, from the profile pages. the trust factor, which scares many people away from online shopping, is pretty much eliminated by the fact that you can see there's a real person behind the product.

those pretty cookies at the top of the post... i didn't buy them. i wish i had though, cause i am sure i would have loved to go to the laduree bakery in paris and pick this box out. that would be good shopping! i'm a sucker for places like that, with history, traditions and old fashion ways. these little cookies were bought by a friend of my husband and he brought them to us. and since i didn't do any online shopping recently those photos will serve to illustrate that part of my point about internet shopping: that i was never there, in the shop, but they totally had me with the bag. and the beautiful box, and the bow. and the cookies were wrapped in thin paper. i mean, honestly, that is just plain nice.

the cookies were good, but it's almost not so important: i had my sweet moment unwrapping the whole thing. if i had ordered them myself and had these delivered in the mail (like a really fast mail so they would still be crispy and eatable), i would have thought they were worth every penny. add a personal note from the baker, wishing that i'll enjoy his cookies, hey that would just about make it the best shopping. ever.

have a great day - and please do enjoy these other wednesday corner views:

jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie,esti, sophie, cele, modsquad, caitlin, joyce, ani, couturecoucou, kim, a day that is dessert, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t.,jeannette, outi, schanett, ritva, dongdong, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana, denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, ruth, dianna, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, jenna, skymring, elizabeth, audrey, allison, lise, cate, mon, victoria, crescent moon, erin, otli, amy, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa, britta, virgina, april